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New York State Enacts New Legislation Strengthening Penalties Against Employers for Wage Theft
New York State Governor Hochul recently signed legislation (S2832-A/A154-A) to make wage theft a form of larceny and allow prosecutors to seek stronger criminal penalties against employers who steal wages from workers.
Specifically, the new legislation amends Section 155.00 of the New York Penal Law to add “compensation for labor or services” to the definition of “property” and adds a subsection 10 for “workforce” which means “a group of one or more persons who work in exchange for wages.” Read more.
New York City Enacts Legislation Prohibiting Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight
New York City has passed legislation amending the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of height and weight. The law will become effective November 22, 2023.
The new law amends the NYCHRL to include height and weight as protected categories and New York City employers will be prohibited from discriminating against applicants and employees on the basis of their actual or perceived height or weight in all employment decisions. Read more.
Reminder: New York State Pay Transparency Law Effective September 17, 2023
As we previously reported, effective September 17, 2023, employers will be subject to the New York State Pay Transparency law. Pursuant to the new law, employers who advertise a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity must include: (1) the compensation or a range of compensation for such job, promotion, or transfer opportunity; and (2) the job description for such job, promotion, or transfer opportunity, if such description exists. In addition to the disclosure requirements, the law contains an explicit non-retaliation provision. Read more.
U.S. Department of Labor Proposes to Raise the Exempt Salary Threshold
On August 30, 2023, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a proposed rule that would significantly increase the minimum weekly salary to qualify for the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) white collar exemptions.
The minimum salary would increase from $684 per week (the annual equivalent of $35,568) to $1,059 per week (the annual equivalent of $55,068). The salary rate would continue to be automatically adjusted every three years. Read more.
Upcoming Events
Our September and October webinars are complimentary for non-members.
September 19th | 8:30AM
HRtelligence Virtual Roundtable – September 19th
LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE. Join us for the next HRtelligence Virtual Roundtable led by Sima Ali, Esq. This thought-provoking and informative event is aimed at providing workplace law insights and strategies for business leaders like yourself. Our goal is to create an open forum where you can engage in meaningful discussions with a labor and employment attorney, gain valuable insights, and enhance your understanding of the ever-evolving landscape of employment law.
September 27th | 9:00AM
Essentials of Hiring and Onboarding and Documentation and Recordkeeping Requirements
Onboarding is part of the employee orientation process that goes beyond just settling your employees in. It engages, integrates and gets your new hires productive quicker — directly improving retention rates and the overall success of your organization.
In this webinar, we will discuss the steps for creating an onboarding program that really works, tips for welcoming and quickly getting your new hires engaged and productive and the required documentation and legal requirements involved in the process.
October 11th | 9:00AM
OSHA Updates: What Employers Need to Know to Ensure Workplace Safety
This webinar will provide practical knowledge to help ensure that companies comply with applicable occupational safety and health requirements and are prepared to defend allegations that compliance was inadequate. We will examine important individual OSHA standards, rulemaking developments, and similarities and differences among state and federal worker safety requirements while sharing key takeaways and best practices for employers. The webinar is designed to help you better understand OSHA’s laws and regulations and will cover OSHA basics, including employer safety obligations, recordkeeping, reporting, inspections, and safety statistics.